Short practice to pop the bubble

Ever have a bubble in your throat? You know the desire to scream, bitch, cry, drop the diplomacy and just spill it sista! Yeah... that's pretty much my Thursday(s). The small gnawing behind my eyes that was just an annoyance on Monday has matured into what will be a  thumping menace by end of day Thursday. Aargh!
Relax. Friday is coming.
And the following morning flow helps pop the bubble and keep my filters somewhat intact.


1. Tadasana
2. Standing yoga mudra
3. Hands to floor - Forward fold
4. Tadasana
Repeat 3 x
-------

5. Tadasana
6. standing yoga mudra
7. hands to floor - forward fold
8. rag doll
-------
9. from rag doll spread feet a bit more than hip width apart
10. bend knees - hands on thighs - lengthen into a jackknife back
11. Standing cats & cows - 3- 5x
12. wide stance tadasana
13. drinking bird - legs straight, hinge forward into a flat back, arms beside hips*
14. rocking horse - deeply bend knees - lift body up - arms beside ears*
15. drinking bird
16. standing cats & cows 3 -5x
17. catcher's twist - hands to thighs, knees bent, long spine - twist through belly, chest to look over one shoulder, then the other.  - 3 - 5 x
18. Tadasana
______

19. Downward dog
20. Plank
21. Downward dog
Repeat 3 x holding each posture for 5 breaths.

___

22. Downward dog
23. lift rt. leg, bend knee, stack rt hip on top of lft.
24. extend rt. leg up into 3 legged dog
25 ease onto lft. knee
25. modified side plank

26. Hands and knees
27. thread the needle
28. down dog
Repeat on other side

_______

29. From down dog - hero's posture
30. breath of fire - 2 minutes
31. sphinx - lion's breath
32. puppy stretch
33. cobra - lion's breath
34. puppy stretch
35. upward dog - lion's breath
36. crocodile - deep sigh
37. Downward dog
38. Cobblers pose w/twist.
39. Sitting meditation.

Breathe.

OM SHANTI

*This video demonstrates "drinking bird" and "rocking horse" and is also a sweet little flow.

Get a Core! Perfect Posture Stand Up Straight! with Psalm Isadora

Hello. 

Just wanted to real quickly share this video from Psalm Isadora about the simple act of standing. 

I say "real quickly" because honestly, this post has been a draft for at least a week. If I don't get it posted now, i never will. 

Good posture is not just for the yoga mat. Good posture, or a "strong  mountain," on the mat will eventually translate to a "strong mountain" in the grocery line, if you let it. 

Take a minute to practice along w/Psalm. 

Notice how you feel as you stand connected to your center. 

See if you can bring this posture into your day. 

& just for grins & giggles, notice how stress affects how you stand and move. 

Personally, when my day gets rough, my right foot tends  to turn outward. I sink into my hips & drop my belly forward. My shoulders, especially the left one, begin to round & my chin kind of juts out and down. And i begin to just hurl myself forward, kind of like a boulder tumbling down a hill picking up all kinds of muck becoming heavier and well.... muckier.

The really interesting thing is, the more I hunker down, the less I am aware of what is going on in my body. I can stay low to the ground and thrash my battle axe around, than wonder why my shoulders & arms hurt so damn much.

I guess, this is what I feel that I am:

Found here

Except.... you know, without the armor & .... the boobs & not nearly as cute. 

Not that there is anything wrong with being a dwarf my Tolkien friends. & in no way, NO WAY, is this intended to be malicious towards little people. 

A fantasy style dwarf is just what comes to my mind when I try to define how  my posture changes under stress. I just bear down and stomp about. & I have arthritic toes and popped ligaments and all around crazy feet problems to prove it. 

And really, the inner me is just more elfin. 

Like this:

http://www.wallfox.net/Abstract/Fantasy/water_fantasy_rocks_fairies_elf_sprites_1280x1024_wallpaper_28543

O.k. Maybe more like this: 

http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/elf-10-10-sm.jpg

At any rate, bringing awareness to how my posture really changes when I am stressed has helped me to truly feel how I am physically being affected as opposed to being a victim to the after effects of a day filled with mindless bolting to & fro. 

 This awareness allows me to work on regaining and maintaining the quiet strength of my center. 

I would like to say that I frequently stop and practice this itty bit of breath work. But I can say that i do so more often than i used to & when i do, I am happy that i did. 

Upon noticing the effects of stress on your posture -  

 - inhale acknowledging

 exhale accepting those feelings as they are in that moment 

(easing tension in the feet, facing toes forward & resting on the 4 corners of the feet)

inhale accepting 

exhale remembering that all is impermanent.

(relaxing my knees, internally rotating my thighs, scooping my tailbone, engaging my abs)

Inhale surrendering to the feelings

Exhale sending positive energy to others who may be feeling the same as I in that moment. 

(sliding my shoulder blades down, lengthening and softening my neck, relaxing my jaw, easing my gaze)

Inhale - welcoming energy from earth & sky into the core of my body

(lowering my ribs, re-scooping and connecting through tail bone and core)

Exhale sending that energy back out

Of course, I don't always get through all of the above. lol

However, the process is interesting if nothing else. 

If you have minute, give it try. See what is going on. & if you feel inclined to do so, share your findings in the comments. 

Would love to hear from you. 

Peace

another short morning sequence

This morning I found this cool online meditation timer. It's simple and, best of all, free.

My personal practice has fallen by the wayside of late. But this morning, instead of saying "screw it" to doing something good for myself because I have places to be and things to do, I said "screw it" to those places and things & took a few moments for myself. I mean, shoot! I am worth a few moments of my day. Aren't you?

And I fit a very nice simple practice into about 10-15 minutes w/the help of the online timer. It chimes a start, midway and ending tone. The midway chime is very helpful because I tend to lose track of time and either end up lopsided or running very very late into my day.

And man, did that short sequence of stretches feel gOOOOD.

So, I will share that sequence with you.

Mountain
Bring hands to low back, interlace fingers, stretch arms down the spine.
Release the hands bring arms overhead.
Fold forward.
Jacknife 3x
Step back into low lunge.
Exhale into arda hanumanasana
Inhale - low crescent lunge
repeat 3 x
High lunge
forward fold
Mountain
Repeat on other side

Mountain
forward fold
plank - 5 breaths
cobra - 5 breaths
downward dog - 5 breaths
forward fold
Mountain

Raise arms overhead interlace fingers, palms turn up & pinkies turn away. Stretch up from soles of feet to palms of hands. Keeping shoulders away from the ears. 3 - 5 breaths
standing crescent moon to one side.
Switch the hands so the opposite index finger is in front.
Repeat.

Tree - 3 - 5 breaths on both sides

Qi gong twist - dragon slithers up the column ( I practice this a bit differently than described here. But the link provides sufficient instruction)
4 x - holding on the last for 3 - 5 breaths.

2 minutes of tantric power breath

2 minutes meditation.

Aaaaaaaahhhh. That's better.

A short stretch for after gardening

After working in my yard for the better part of the day yesterday, i needed to stretch out a bit.

On a whim, i decided to record some of my after gardening practice.

Something i did on a "whim" ended up being quite a project, but i have a somewhat better understanding of my computer's audio and video programs - kind of.

Anyway, this is basically just me practicing. There are a lot of silent spaces because.... well, i was practicing. And the whole thing can best be described as "organic." lol.

But, here ya go.

Namaste

a practice for a quiet mind

One my biggest challenges is simply rolling out my mat then stepping onto it. For the longest time I felt that if I did not have a complete hour or longer to dedicate to asana & pranayama, the practice simply wasn't worth doing. However the "hour" rarely, if ever presented itself.  & I found myself just getting tighter & crankier. 

So, practice, whether it consists of 5 minutes of pranayama & 5 minutes of meditation or holding one pose then a counterpose on both sides of the body is still practice - & very beneficial.


So, here is a suggestion for a short 15 - 20 minute asana practice to help you ground, center & quiet your mind for the challenges of your day or to unwind after a busy day. 


*As always, practice with compassion and gratitude for your physical abilities. Please consult your doctor before practicing asana, pranayama or any exercise  
program. 




1. Tadasana(mountain) - finding your posture - acknowledging your breath - grounding down through the feet, lengthening up through the side body, opening the heart center, quieting the mind - breathing in gratitude, compassion & acceptance.


2. standing yoga mudra holding for 5 breaths 


3. uttanasana(forward fold) - place hands on shins or thighs - inhale lengthen/straighten through the spine - exhale uttanasana - 3x


4. Rishi's posture - hold for 3-5 breaths each side - relax into uttanasana in between left and right side


5. uttanasana 


6. Inhale to tadasana - moving into a slight backbend


7.chandrasana (standing crescent moon)- both sides- 3-5breaths


8. uttanasana


9. Rt. foot steps back - high lunge arms overhead - 3-5 breaths


10 exhale into low lunge. Move w/the breath, straighten the front leg w/the exhalation & bend w/the inhalation 5x


11. Low lunge - arms overhead


12. High lunge


13. Rotate into utkata konasana (goddess pose)


14. In utkata konasana, inhale arms overhead, straighten legs. Exhale into goddess with hands on thighs - kapalabhati breath. Inhale arms overhead, straight legs. Repeat 3x


15. Tadasana


16. Steps 8-13 on opposite side. Hold utkata konasana for 3- 5 breaths


17. Tadasana


18. vrksasana (tree pose) - rt. knee bent - 3-5 breaths


19. Step back w/right foot - lunge. Move through a sun salutation slooowly. Hold each element for 3 - 5 breaths.


20. Tadasana


21. Steps 18-20 opposite side


22.malasana (yogic squat)


23. baddha konasana (cobbler's pose)


24. Navasana (boat pose)


25. Move from navasana into baddha konasana - 3 - 5 x


26. baddha konasana - relax forward w/a straight spine.


27. supta baddha konasana (reclined cobbler's pose) relax here as long as you need.


28. Savasana


Namaste